Customer Reviews
Sublime Lament - By: Nicholas Casley, 17 Feb 2010 
This low-price CDin the Naxos range comes recommended. It contains not only the "Violin Concerto"in its fifty-two minutes of music.
The opening piece is the four-movement "Company" of 1982, otherwise known as Glass's "Second String Quartet": four short pieces (none longer than three minutes) with nice contrastsin volume. The final pieces are a couple of extracts from Glass's opera "Akhnaten". These are typical Glass pieces but do not really work on this disc, as they are taken out of context of the opera as a whole.
Sandwiched between "Company" & the "Akhnaten" excerpts is the wonderful "Violin Concerto" of 1987. From the off, the violin quickly jumps in, the rapid configurations of the first subject giving way to the briefest of lyrical second subjects. The first movement follows traditional concerto form as far as its seven minutes will allow.
The second movement possesses great beauty with the descending bass line heard at just the right volumein the mix, over which the violin sings its sublime lament. Adele Anthony's playing is a little rough around the edges, but nevertheless this is a fine interpretation by the soloist.
However falsely, I like to envisage the third movement as an Irish jig meeting the formal drama of a fast tango, both chasing each other roundin circles until the stage is set for the return of earlier themes. The ending is unfortunately too abrupt for me but the dynamics of the whole concerto are given good treatment by all involved.
Glass on Naxos - By: Clark, 11 Feb 2010 I bought this as it was cheap & have been pleasantly surpised by the recording quality & the performance by a soloist I dont know.
Glass minimalistically pleasant - By: Aquinas, 22 Feb 2008 
Glass's violin concerto is pleasant & immediately accessible. But, Glass's music is all very similar; its as if there is a number of ideas which get continously re-cycled. To my mind, Adams' concerto is stronger
Unexpectedly lyrical - By: Jon Chambers, 30 Jan 2008 
I don't know that much about Philip Glass & co. (a minimal amount?) but, to me, this is modern music that's immediately accessible & which tries to engagein terms of its musicality rather than its philosophy or its aesthetic creed.
There are affinities with precursors. It's possible to see a direct link between the Violin Concerto, for instance, & works of the Baroque period, with its use of repeated phrases, arpeggios, double stopping & so on. Its repetition is not tiresome repetition per se, however, & the piece is always varied & concise enough to say what it needs toin under 25' - another link with the Baroque.
There are those who complain that this concerto represents an unacceptably reactionary step on the part of Glass. But these are presumably critics who would prefer to think of themselves as members of a very exclusive club, one that is implicitly anti-populist. (On the Baroque theme again, Bach managed to be simultaneously popular & cerebral - something worth emulating, perhaps?) What does seem a little reactionaryin this recording though is the occasional heavy vibrato of Adele Anthony which you'd think would be more appropriate for Max Bruch or Felix Mendelssohn than for contemporary music like this.
On balance, however, this Naxos recording is a real triumph. The companion pieces are also pithy & engaging (Company especially, less so Akhnaten for me). And at unbeatable value, of course.
Fantastically engulfing... - By: eggbound, 29 Jan 2008 I have a rather esoteric tastein music, I like a bit of everythingin moderation.
Glass's music isin a particular genre(Minimalism) that is a bit like marmite, at first you either love it or hate it.
However, there are so many layers & within a single movement, it's impossible not to grow to appreciate at least some of his compositions.
With the violin concerto being performed so fantasticlly here(in particular, although both 'Company' & the 'Akhnaten' pieces also well performed), it's impossible not to be drawn into it.
Just give it a chance.
